Scenic, South Dakota.

Photos and exploring western South Dakota, August 10, 2014.

That’s right.  That’s the name of a town.  Scenic, South Dakota.

It’s not much of a town.  Perhaps it never was.  These days, it’s almost, but not quite, a ghost town.

Scenic, Sounth Dakota, August 10, 2014

We had left the Black Hills behind for a while, headed east to the South Dakota badlands.  It was getting towards lunch time and we had a ways to go before we got to the next campground.  I knew this little town was ahead, off on a side road, and thought we’d be able to find some place to stop so we could fix our lunch, even if it meant eating in the camper – usually when we are traveling, we prefer to eat outside, sort of a picnic along the way.

We didn’t see any place to eat outside, so we parked next to an old, long shuttered, gift shop and ate in the camper before venturing out to look around a bit and snap some pictures.

Scenic, Sounth Dakota, August 10, 2014

This old town was along what was probably once one of the east-west travel routes.  There are a lot of these around the country, little places that withered and nearly died after the interstate highway system was built.  These days, most of the traffic through this part of the country travels via Interstate 90, as we did a few days later when we headed to Wyoming.

Scenic, Sounth Dakota, August 10, 2014 Scenic, Sounth Dakota, August 10, 2014 Scenic, Sounth Dakota, August 10, 2014 Scenic, Sounth Dakota, August 10, 2014

Scenic is not completely dead.  There are a few homes there and we were able to fuel the camper at a combination filling station and convenience store.

And then we headed down the road to the next town and the RV park where we had reservations.


As I was getting ready to post this, I read that “In August 2011, a Philippines-based church called Iglesia ni Cristo (Church of Christ) bought the” town and nearby property, but has done little with it. (Wikipedia)

desert, economy, food, life, on the road, photography, places, south dakota, towns

Comments on this entry are closed.

  • Rummuser Sep 2, 2014 Link

    Must have been an eerie experience!
    Rummuser recently posted…Feast Not Fast.My Profile

    • Mike Sep 3, 2014 Link

      Interesting, yes; eerie, not so much. We have visited a number of old “ghost towns” in the past and a couple on this trip.
      Mike recently posted…Badlands.My Profile

  • Alan G Sep 3, 2014 Link

    Very interesting photos Mike. I especially found the saloon sign intriguing with regard to the Lakota Indians.
    Alan G recently posted…My Resident Female – Up Close & Personal….My Profile

    • Mike Sep 3, 2014 Link

      Thanks. I thought the sign interesting, too. This place is near the Pine Ridge Reservation.
      Mike recently posted…Badlands.My Profile

  • Hilary Sep 8, 2014 Link

    Hi Mike – when new roads are built here .. they bypass the villages, leave them more peaceful, but take the trade away … and we have much less space … Lovely shots – cheers Hilary
    Hilary recently posted…Tina – a blogger fest missing the leading sunflowered lady light ..My Profile

    • Mike Sep 8, 2014 Link

      The State of Arkansas is talking about a bypass around the little town near where we live — but they want the town to pay the upkeep for it after it’s built. The town can’t afford that, especially when it takes business away!
      Mike recently posted…On to WyomingMy Profile

  • Barbara Potter Nov 14, 2014 Link

    I was there in 1991 and at the time the sign on the Longhorn Saloon read: “No Indians or dogs allowed”, I am glad to see that sometime between 1991 and 2014 it was changed!

    • Mike Nov 14, 2014 Link

      I thought the sign was rather odd. Looking at it again, I can see where a “No” might have been painted over in front of “Indians.”
      Mike recently posted…Morning PrescriptionMy Profile

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